


Let The Light In

by leiascully



Category: Leverage
Genre: Coming Out, Multi, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25644358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leiascully/pseuds/leiascully
Summary: Eliot tells Shelley about his partners.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 37
Kudos: 210





	Let The Light In

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: post-S5  
> A/N: I don't believe in obligatory come out culture, but there's something to be said for that moment that you let someone into your truth, and how terrifying it can be even if you know everything will turn out fine. Eliot's doing his best.

Eliot brings up Shelley's name in his contacts, hesitates for one frozen second, and then hits the call button. Shelly answers after just one ring.

"Game or a job?" he asks, his voice warm in Eliot's ear.

"Uh, game," Eliot says. "Kind of." 

"Kind of?" Shelley asks, almost laughing. 

"We can play a few hands," Eliot says. "I figured it was time you saw my new place." 

"Oh yeah?" Shelley says. 

"Yeah, man, out in Portland," Eliot says. 

"Portland?" Shelley doesn't sound too surprised. "I thought it was Boston."

"It was Boston," Eliot tells him. "Now it's Portland. Stuff went down, we moved on. You know how it goes." 

"Wish I didn't," Shelley says ruefully. 

"You'll like it," Eliot says. "The new place. We actually run a gastropub."

"We, huh," Shelley says. "You and your crew?"

"Me and a couple of them," Eliot says, and holds his breath. "Hardison, you met him at that poker night. And Parker. The blond one. The other two ran off to get married and try to live the straight life."

Shelley laughed. "The straight life. Can't relate." 

"Ha," Eliot says. "Guess not." 

"You know, metaphorically," Shelley says. "Not always a lot of options for people with our skill sets in civilian life." 

"Yeah," Eliot says. 

"You still working?" Shelley asks. "Not going straight on me, are you?"

"No," Eliot says, and if he still believed, he'd probably cross himself, even though he was never that kind of Christian. It's a leap of faith. "Not in any sense." 

"How about that?" Shelley says in a drawl. He's the easy one, he wasn't ever going to be surprised. He and Eliot messed around plenty, back in the day. Shelley was the person Eliot did gay stuff with before either of them would admit it was gay stuff, or at least, the only one Eliot still talks to. But Eliot has to lick his lips to rewet his dry mouth, and his head is half-full of sirens. When he flexes his fingers, he realizes they're trembling a little. Makes sense — he was always fight, never flight or freeze or fawn, and right now his body thinks there's some kind of a threat from the way his heart and his mind are racing, even from just saying it slantwise. He forces his shoulders down, unclenches his jaw, rolls his neck from side to side. He's all right. Shelley's the safe one. Shelley knew before Eliot ever said anything. 

"I take it your gastropub buddy is the lucky man?" Shelley teases. "Good for him. More important, good for you." 

"Both of 'em, actually," Eliot says. 

"Fuck, man," Shelley says admiringly. "I keep telling you to leave some of that luck for the rest of us. Eliot Spencer, already a legend."

"I didn't plan it," Eliot protests. 

"Oh, sure," Shelley teases. "You just happened to take two ridiculously hot people out of the dating pool in one fell swoop. Oops, your bad. How'd you do it, just trip and fall into their arms? Because I know you think you've got game, but I'm here to tell you, you ain't got that much game."

"Kinda just happened," Eliot says, smiling to himself. "They got together and I tried not to get in the way."

"So you just walked around with your shirt off until they gave in?" Shelley suggests.

"No." Eliot scowls even though Shelley can't see him. "I told you, I kept out of it until they made it very clear that I was invited."

"Ah," Shelley says. "They took their shirts off until you gave in." 

"Somethin' like that," Eliot says, and he's smiling again at the memory. 

"So you're, what," Shelley says. "A threesome?"

"Hardison says it's a triad," Eliot tells him. "Parker just gets bored talking about it and takes off her shirt." 

"Sounds like heaven, man," Shelley says.

"Closest I've ever gotten," Eliot tells him. He's finally starting to really relax. He rolls his neck again, feeling how much looser he is. Everything's fine, just like he knew it would be. This is why he started with Shelley. He'll have to work his way up to Vance, he's pretty damn sure, not that they've ever talked about the issue. Eliot doesn't know why it was so fucking hard to say in the first place. He's not ashamed, he doesn't think. He isn't exactly sure how he feels about the whole thing. Being bisexual or whatever labels Hardison keeps offering him to try on. Maybe it's always been there inside him, but it still feels tender and new to look right at it, like a real pretty sunrise or a kitten that fell asleep in his lap. It still makes him skittery to think about other people thinking about it. He wants to hold it close for a little while longer, doesn't want most people peering too close. But he does feel better, having shown himself to Shelley. 

"Well, hey," Shelley says. "Glad you cut your teeth on me. Actually, could have used less teeth sometimes, but I assume your current boyfriend is benefiting from my pain."

"There are some things you and I remember very differently," Eliot growls. He and Shelley weren't ever boyfriends, either, but he'll let that slide.

"Seriously, I'm proud of you," Shelley says in a gentle tone that almost undoes Eliot. "I can't wait to see your place. Meet your people properly. All that stuff." 

"Yeah," Eliot says. "Looking forward to it." 

"Gotta go pick up a package or two," Shelley says. "But I'll call you in a couple of days and we'll set something up, all right?"

"All right, brother," Eliot says. "Sounds good."

They hang up without saying goodbye. They never say goodbye, some ritual they came up with years ago, like if they never say goodbye, they'll get to talk to each other again. All thieves are superstitious, Eliot thinks. But his luck hasn't run out yet. In fact, recently, it kind of seems like it's doubled. 

He nods at nothing, feeling pretty satisfied. He doesn't need the world to know. Not now, maybe not ever. But he's told one person, somebody who matters to him, and he feels just a little bit freer.

"What are you grinning about?" Hardison asks, wandering down the stairs with some gadget in his hands like usual. 

"Nothin'," Eliot says. "Just talked to Shelley."

"Shelley from the poker game?" Hardison asks. He sits next to Eliot and leans over for a little kiss. Eliot isn't used to that yet, but he does enjoy the hell out of it. "Handsome Shelley? How's he doing?"

"He's good," Eliot says. "I told him he should come out sometime. See the pub. Play some cards."

"Definitely, definitely," Hardison says, poking at his screen. "Guess he'll be in for a sad surprise when he figures out you're no longer available for a quick fix. I saw him eyeing you over that card table."

"He, uh, he knows," Eliot says. "I told him."

Hardison looks up. "For real?"

Eliot nods. "Yeah." 

Hardison leans forward and cups his hand around the back of Eliot's neck. "I am real proud of you, baby."

"Yeah?" Eliot asks. 

"So proud," Hardison affirms. He leans forward and kisses Eliot again. "Was he impressed, though?"

"Hell yeah, he was," Eliot tells him. "And a little bit jealous, I'm pretty sure."

"Well, he should be," Hardison says. "Parker and me, we're pretty magnificent." 

"Why are we magnificent?" Parker asks as she comes in and shuts the door behind her. 

"Look at us," Hardison says, gesturing to himself. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"That's fair," Parker says. She comes over and drapes herself over Eliot's shoulders so she can look at Hardison and dig her pointy chin into Eliot's shoulder. 

"Eliot told Shelley," Hardison tells her. 

"About us," Eliot clarifies, gesturing between the three of them.

"Oh, good," Parker says, and thinks for a second. "Didn't he know? I thought you guys used to...whatever."

"Yeah, well," Eliot says, "it's just not always easy to talk about these things sometimes. Even with people who maybe already know, or think they do." 

"Why?" Parker asks. Eliot looks at Hardison, who gazes back, shaking his head slowly and fondly. 

"Sometimes I'm glad she's so impervious to the world," Hardison says. 

"Is it because you have friends?" Parker asks. "Are you afraid they just hold one idea of you in their head and you can never grow and change or they'll get confused because you don't match anymore, and you're not sure which you is really you?"

"Uh, kind of," Eliot says, and that's as good an explanation as any, for now. He hasn't got the time or the inclination to unpack what thirty years of trying to make sure no one ever questioned his manliness has done to his thought processes. But he's got Parker's arms thrown around his neck and Hardison's knees braced up against his and he's happy, goddammit, and in love, and all the things he thought he'd given up on. But the hope of them was inside him all along, along with this other quiet thing, lying dormant waiting for the sunlight. 

"What?" Hardison says. 

"What what?" Parker asks him.

"He's just smiling," Hardison tells her. "Like somebody got him a gift certificate to Henleys R Us." 

"I just love you," Eliot says. "Both of you. That's not a crime."

"It used to be," Hardison says. "And not that long ago either. But hey, we're all smooth criminals, huh?"

"You haven't ever said that before," Parker says. "That you love us." She nudges at him. "Say it again. It made me feel all warm inside."

"I love you," Eliot says. He cups his hand over hers and puts his other hand on Hardison's thigh. It was easier the first time, when he wasn't thinking about it, but the truth is he's loved them for a long time, way before this new and sexy layer got added to whatever else he feels about them. They're his people. The tender thing inside him feels a little sturdier, a little less confined. 

"We love you too," Parker says, like it's the simplest thing. She kisses his cheek and bounces away. "What are we doing for dinner? I'm hungry."

Hardison puts his hand over Eliot's. "Hey," he says quietly. "I get it. You did it. Now you know you can do it again, when you want to."

"Yeah," Eliot says. "It gets less terrifying, right?"

Hardison laughs. "Sometimes," he says. "But we'll get through it." He squeezes Eliot's hand. "Let's go feed our girl before she just starts ripping open boxes." 

"Now that sounds like a plan," Eliot says.


End file.
